How a federal racketeering case led to the arrest of 20 alleged Free Money gang members
Indictment unsealed in Southern District of Texas
Federal authorities in Houston arrested 20 people alleged to be members and associates of a group known as “Free Money” after an 18-count superseding indictment was unsealed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas on Feb. 11, 2026. The arrests were announced Feb. 12, 2026.
The defendants are accused of participating in a racketeering conspiracy and other federal crimes, including murder and attempted murder in aid of racketeering, Hobbs Act robbery, and related firearms and drug offenses. A superseding indictment typically indicates prosecutors have added charges, defendants, or allegations to an existing case as an investigation advances.
What investigators say drove the case
The alleged conduct described in court filings centers on a claimed pattern of violence and profit-driven crime attributed to the group. Prosecutors allege that members and associates used intimidation and violence to control territory and retaliate against rivals, including through multiple drive-by shootings. The indictment also ties the alleged enterprise to robberies and drug trafficking as sources of revenue.
Authorities allege the group trafficked multiple drugs, including crack cocaine, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana. One defendant, Orlando Calloway, 52, is accused of supplying crack cocaine to the group by converting cocaine into crack.
The indictment also references a law-enforcement intervention tied to an alleged home-invasion plan. Prosecutors say officers stopped the suspected robbery crew while they were en route to a “stash house” location, and that during a subsequent police chase one defendant, Travonte Ardoin, threw a firearm from a vehicle.
Earlier murder allegations provide context
The Feb. 2026 arrests build on earlier federal charging decisions involving alleged Free Money members. In a separate federal case made public July 31, 2025, Terry Ardoin, 24, and Travonte Ardoin, 27, were charged with murder in aid of racketeering and attempted murder in aid of racketeering in connection with a June 24, 2022 shooting at a Houston-area shopping center parking lot.
In that case, prosecutors alleged the shooting occurred during an ongoing conflict with a rival group, and that surveillance footage captured the suspects following a vehicle into the parking lot before opening fire. The charges in that earlier case carried potential penalties up to life in prison, with the possibility of a death sentence under federal law depending on convictions and subsequent proceedings.
Agencies involved and what happens next
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Houston Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The prosecution is being handled by federal prosecutors in Houston alongside attorneys from the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.
The case is being pursued under a broader federal initiative that deployed additional prosecutorial and analytical resources to Houston beginning in 2022 to target violent crime linked to gangs and repeat offenders.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Further details on specific defendants, bond status, and trial scheduling are expected to emerge through court hearings and filings in the coming weeks.